I start by accepting Sun Wukong as my disciple and reshape the Journey to the West

Chapter 161 What is the price of activating the array's core?

Swish!
Almost the instant the sound rang out, both Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong pointed their weapons at Tang Sanzang.

Hou Junji and Li Jing, who were a little slower to react, also aimed their weapons at Tang Sanzang at this moment.

"Who dares to possess the body of the holy monk!" Li Jing asked coldly.

Everyone else's eyes also fell on Tang Sanzang. At that moment, even the corrupted Tang Sanzang could not bear it and dared not resist. He immediately said, "The Sage knows of my existence. I and my former self are one body with two souls. In times of crisis, he will hand over control of the body to me."

The explanation of the corrupted Tang Sanzang was incredibly fast, as if he were afraid that he might accidentally die under the weapons of the group.

Everyone turned to look at Changsun Wuji, their eyes full of inquiry.

Changsun Wuji waved his hand, and the group immediately put away their weapons.

Changsun Wuji walked up to Tang Sanzang and said, "I hope you can stay in his body until the crisis is resolved. Otherwise, we will not be able to resist this power and will kill him!"

The corrupted Tang Sanzang immediately said, "As long as this high-pressure environment continues, I believe he will be very sensible."

“Indeed, you are much better this way. You are much easier to communicate with than the one who would dismount at the drop of a hat. We need you to keep this up so that you don’t hold us back.” Cheng Yaojin pinched his brow hard and slammed his hammer down heavily on the ground.

Yellow sand filled the sky, startling the white horse, which reared up high.

The mirror was completely obscured by yellow sand, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.

The sage Nuwa sat up abruptly and slowly raised the mirror lens, but it was still to no avail.

"More interesting than I imagined." A smile bloomed on Nuwa's face.

"Humans are indeed much more powerful than I imagined!" The Fox King immediately stepped forward and said sincerely.

“Indeed, in this Dharma-ending Age, it is rare to see mortals using such techniques. Fellow Daoist Xuantian is indeed remarkable. If this trend continues, the strength of the entire human race will be raised to an extremely terrifying level.”

Hearing Nuwa's lament, the Fox King of Ten Thousand Years disagreed and tentatively said, "Weren't humans the strongest during the Investiture of the Gods era? These mortals nowadays only know how to use some low-level magic. A powerful demon can destroy a city."

Nuwa gave him a cold look, and immediately the Fox King hunched over: "It was this servant who spoke out of turn."

Nuwa shook her head: "You're right. They did use some low-level magic, which is nothing compared to the flourishing of humankind during the Investiture of the Gods era. But this is the beginning! It's already quite remarkable that a mortal being could detect such a spy."

The Fox King secretly complained, "You didn't even try to conceal your aura! Even a mortal could sense it intuitively. Any cultivator would have fled immediately."

Nuwa kicked out, and the Fox King went to meet her, only to be kicked away by Nuwa.

"If I conceal my aura, not only cultivators, but even my senior brother wouldn't be able to detect it."

"Yes, yes, yes, the human race evolved by Your Majesty is the best in the world."

"You're getting more and more cunning as you get older!" Nuwa was so angry that she laughed. At this moment, the yellow sand on the mirror began to slowly dissipate, eventually revealing the ground. But where the ground was now, there was no trace of Tang Sanzang and his companions.

"Since the beginning of time, the human race has always been good at planning. Fellow Daoist Xuantian has indeed chosen an extraordinary era. I can even sense the evolution of my senior brother's great formation. Who has such an opportunity?" Nuwa pointed her slender, jade-like fingers at the mirror.

Instantly, ripples spread outwards, and on the once empty road, mysterious runes slowly evolved, from which countless silver threads flew out. These silver threads were as fine as hairs, and could not be detected unless one looked closely.

Most importantly, the silver threads were like the sharpest knives in the world. A flock of birds flew overhead, and the birds, which were initially moving forward, turned into blood foam and fell down after flying out of the range of the silver thread array.

The pool of blood on the ground was rather horrifying.

"What ruthless methods!" The Fox King narrowed his eyes and looked closely at the silver threads. He then realized that the silver threads were actually crisscrossed horizontally and vertically, like a chessboard, but the intervals were too fine to be noticed at first.

"Who are you, you rats? Show yourselves!" Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng emerged from underground.

"So they were all hidden underground. No wonder I didn't see them." The Sage Nuwa rubbed her temple with one hand.

"It seems that because they haven't been out of the world for a long time, they don't want to use their brains at all." Nuwa said, and then immediately said, "The people blocking the way ahead are the Asura lineage. It won't do you any good to just sit and wait to die. If you want to live, you can try to bypass them."

The Sage Nuwa realized that the twenty-four ministers had limited means, with Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng being the core figures. However, with such methods, it would be too difficult to gain any advantage from the three demon kings of the Asura lineage.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tiangang immediately cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for reminding me, senior. I wonder what your name is? If you could tell us, we could build a shrine for you in the future to commemorate your kindness today."

The sage Nuwa did not reply; with a flick of her sleeve, the mirror vanished.

On the ground, the compass hidden in Li Chunfeng's sleeve immediately stopped spinning.

"Brother Yuan, that person should have left by now."

"It's good that we're friends, not enemies. Otherwise, with that person's methods, neither of us would have any chance at all!" Yuan Tiangang finally had a chance to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

“They seem to be drawn in by the energy of this place, and they probably won’t be able to move forward for a while. We need to think of a way to break this deadlock. Did the sage leave any revelation?” Li Chunfeng asked.

"No, the sage said that there is always a way when you reach the mountain, but up to now, I have no idea what role the twenty-four ministers can play. The car is stuck at the mountain and can't move forward at all." Yuan Tiangang said with a bitter smile.

“Brother Yuan, you are being too pessimistic. Look, we’ve only just arrived here, and someone has already given us guidance. I believe that when the time is right, there will definitely be a way to break this deadlock.”

"I hope it's as you say, otherwise there's absolutely no chance," Yuan Tiangang said helplessly.

Inside the Nuwa Palace, the Fox King looked puzzled: "Why did Your Majesty stop watching? Didn't they do a very good job?"

"The outcome isn't in their hands, so there's no point in watching any longer. They'll need a long time to suppress their emotions, and they'll probably be waiting for a turning point. What exactly is Fellow Daoist Xuantian doing? Does he really expect just a few people to break through the restrictions of the great demon kings?"

"Didn't Your Majesty say that Sage Xuantian's move wasn't made here? Then why not search the entire mortal realm and see who Fellow Daoist Xuantian would choose?"

Upon hearing this, Nuwa's face immediately lit up with joy, but it quickly faded: "No, this investigation and warning is already the limit. Because this is under the Heavenly Secrets, there are many eyes watching from all sides. The Heavenly Dao won't care too much about me being an extra one. But if my gaze falls elsewhere, it might affect Fellow Daoist Xuantian's arrangements, or even attract the attention of the Heavenly Dao. It's better not to."

Nuwa thought for a moment and then said, "You should also go out and keep an eye on things here. If they really can't get through this, then you should lend a hand."

"Yes, but is it here, Your Highness?"

"I'll go into seclusion for a while, and you don't need to take care of me much. Go ahead, after all, this is the first difficulty, so we can't be careless."

"Yes!" The Fox King said no more, his figure flickered slightly, and he separated from the Nuwa Palace. At the same time, lightning gathered on the dome.

"I was stretching and accidentally kicked the barrier, and you're going to interfere?" The lightning vanished instantly.

Nuwa narrowed her eyes and stared at the dome for a long time: "It seems that the Heavenly Dao is indeed not up to par now. In the past, it would have to give me a once-over. If you are not up to par, then I will have to see what you are really made of."

Nuwa suddenly grew taller, her body draped in a thin silk gauze that accentuated her graceful figure. A cloak bound with gold threads added to her beauty, and cranes suddenly cried out from the left and right, transforming into totems that landed on her. Her body flowed like water.

A golden crown appeared on her head, helping Nuwa gather her hair and adding to her dashing appearance.

A dazzling lotus lantern fell before the goddess, illuminating a rainbow path for her.

Nuwa descended onto the rainbow path, took only one step, and landed on the dome of the sky, shrinking the earth to an inch.

"Ah! Your Majesty, have you gone mad? We were both perfectly fine, what are you doing?" A bolt of lightning above the dome emitted a sharp cry.

"Noisy!"

As Nuwa finished speaking, a ball of seven-colored light from the Lotus Lantern was directly injected into the lightning, instantly reducing the ear-piercing sound to a whisper.

“Your Majesty, I haven’t made things difficult for you all these years. I’m just a wisp of your will, a mere gatekeeper, and I haven’t received much spiritual energy. You don’t need to make things difficult for me, do you? After the Conferred Godhood, you’ve sent your avatars out to travel several times, and I didn’t interfere, did I? Why do we have to tear each other apart when we can all be at peace?”

Lei Tuan's voice sounded very aggrieved, as if he truly didn't understand why the Sage Nuwa would overturn the table at this moment.

"Tell me, is your true form currently in a deep slumber, or is it due to the Dao Ancestor or Fellow Daoist Xuantian?"

Lei Tuan immediately replied, "Your Majesty, just as I said at the beginning, I did not receive much spiritual infusion from the main body. After all, I am just a gatekeeper."

"court death!"

Before Nuwa could finish speaking, the Lotus Lantern emitted a dazzling light, shining on the thunderball, which immediately manifested a bitter face.

"Your Majesty, why are you doing this to yourself!"

Whoosh!
The thunderballs were immediately freed from the Lotus Lantern's restraints, and in the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of thunderballs surrounded Nuwa.

"Your Majesty, I'm not lying to you. I'm just a gatekeeper, and I haven't received much spiritual energy from the Heavenly Dao. After all, the great formation here has a natural advantage against you! Please return to your residence, Your Majesty!"

The preceding part still states the facts, while the following part declares who the owner of this place is.

Rumble.

The mountains suddenly began to undulate, as if an earth dragon were turning over.

Wow.

Tens of thousands of chains flew out from underground first.

Phew! Phew! Phew! !

Then, a series of resounding cries echoed through the sky, and countless phoenixes emerged from the chains. In an instant, the red flames illuminated the entire Nuwa Palace, even swallowing up the rainbow beneath Nuwa herself.

One by one, the phoenixes were pierced through their entire bodies by chains, each one crying blood, their eyes nowhere to be seen, their empty eye sockets terrifying.

Seeing this scene, Nuwa's face turned extremely ugly. The next second, phoenix tails were also brought out, each tail tipped with a blood line, the end of which was connected to the blood-red chains on Nuwa's feet.

"The Myriad Phoenix Formation! Your Majesty knows that I have never liked to use such power, after all, you are a saint. However, as I said, I am just a laborer. If Your Majesty really wants to fight to the death with me, I am still willing to take Your Majesty to hell with me. I just don't know if Your Majesty is willing to be the only one to be buried with you."

"Lei Ling! Are you threatening me?"

This is the name that Goddess Nuwa gave to Lei Tuan, after all, there have been very few people who have kept the goddess company and relieved her boredom over the years.

"It is something I have always been proud of to receive a name from Your Majesty, but it is not the price for my death. Your Majesty, please return."

Lei Ling's words were devoid of much emotion, as if from the moment he transformed into countless forms, he was no longer the same Lei Ling who had been so miserable and timid before.

"Please return to your residence, Your Highness!"

Tens of thousands of phoenixes spoke at the same time, their voices so tragic and heartbreaking that they broke one's soul.

Nuwa was somewhat lost in thought; her eyes began to dart around, and her consciousness began to fade.

hum!
Suddenly, the Lotus Lantern burst into dazzling light, protecting the Goddess Nuwa inside.

"The Myriad Phoenix Formation can truly bring about the destruction of Your Majesty. I believe Your Majesty knows this better than I do."

Seeing that Goddess Nuwa had regained her senses, Lei Ling's voice became much harsher.

Wow!
Immediately, the chains on Wan Huang's body began to rattle and clatter.

"Fine, I'll go back then."

With a wave of her hand, the sound of the chains abruptly stopped.

“I know that Your Majesty is always compassionate. As long as Your Majesty doesn’t do anything too outrageous in Nuwa Palace, I will be very accommodating. Please don’t make things difficult for me.” Lei Ling’s tone became gentle.

Nuwa descended towards the Nuwa Palace, while Wanhuang quietly sank into the mountains, and everything returned to peace.

Lei Ling, however, continued to exist in the form of countless forms, seemingly worried that Nuwa would change her mind. Finally, Nuwa landed in the Nuwa Palace.

Lei Ling then withdrew his supernatural powers, transformed into a ball, and bowed respectfully to the Goddess Nuwa.

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty!"

"You should know that I had the opportunity to destroy you today. Guess why I chose to compromise?"

“The Goddess Nuwa is always compassionate, as I have already said!” Lei Ling replied.

"No, because you said that the price I paid for naming you was not enough to make you betray me. Then I want to ask you, what kind of price would make you abolish the Myriad Phoenix Formation?"

(End of this chapter)